Driver was reading text messages when truck crashed into freeway maintenance crew killing 2

The driver of a truck that crashed into two road maintenance vehicles on National Freeway 3 yesterday, causing two deaths and three injuries, told police that he was using his phone at the time of the accident.

The National Highway Police Bureau said that at 2:45 pm yesterday, May 6, the truck carrying 50,000 rapid antigen tests for COVID-19 crashed into the road crew in the southbound lanes on the Xihu section of freeway 3 in Miaoli County.

Two of the road workers, a 26-year-old man, named Chen, and a 61-year-old man, named Zou died. Two workers were slightly injured, and the 34-year-old truck driver, name Huang, was sent to hospital with broken ribs.

When interrogated by police, Huang confessed that he was using a messaging app to read and respond to messages about his deliveries at the time of the accident. Huang said that he had been looking at the phone screen for too long, and did not notice that his vehicle had deviated from the lane until it was too late.

Huang was charged by the Miaoli District Prosecutor on suspicion of negligent homicide.

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